


I Don't Like Jell-O

by TripCreates



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Never Met, Fluffy Ending, Hospitals, Illnesses, Implied Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, Implied Matsuoka Rin/Yamazaki Sousuke, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nagisa is a Little Shit, Nurse Tachibana Makoto, Patient Nanase Haruka, Pre-Relationship, Rin is a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-16 14:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8106202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripCreates/pseuds/TripCreates
Summary: Haruka was miserable. No, miserable didn’t even begin to cover it. He’d already dealt with the flu and now it had moved into pneumonia. He’d been there for little over a week and he was ready to be free of this place. But least he has a cute nurse.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sadly we are at the end of makoharu week 2016. I had such a wonderful time modding this with some awesome people and meeting new people in the fandom! It was such a delight. 
> 
> Written for Day 7 - Free Choice
> 
> I had a bit of a hard decided on what to write for this so Rie threw out a much of AU ideas and this one stuck. Couldn't have done this without ya pal :)
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy! All kudos and comments are appreciated!

Haruka was miserable. No, miserable didn’t even begin to cover it. He’d already dealt with the flu and now it had moved into pneumonia. He’d been there for little over a week and he was ready to be _free_ of this place. The food was terrible, which was _not_ mackerel, and a decent night’s sleep was nearly impossible. And he was tired of watching TV.

He was also a bit lonely. His parents visited him on the second day after he’d been admitted but hadn’t been back since. His mother said it was something about Haru’s father being too busy with work but that was fine by Haru. He was used to them not being around. Rin stopped by when he had free time, which wasn’t often, so Haru appreciated him spending the time with him. But he wished the visits lasted longer than thirty minutes.

Besides that, the only thing he looked forward to each day was when his nurse stopped by. Makoto was his name he learned and Haru had to admit, he was pretty cute with his sweet, green eyes and broad shoulders. Haru was a little curious to see what the rest of him looked like underneath the white scrubs.

Despite what a cranky patient Haru had been, Makoto was always nice and friendly toward him when he came to check on him. Haru thought it was an act at first, just being part of the job, but he soon realized that’s just how Makoto was. Haru thought he was lucky to get such a nice nurse and one that didn’t bore him with idle chit chat.

It was evening time. Haru was staring mindlessly up at the TV when there was a knock at the door. He glanced over to see Makoto enter as to not startle him.

“Just coming to see how you’re doing tonight,” Makoto said, giving Haru a warm smile.

Makoto was wearing his glasses tonight and Haru couldn’t help but think how cute he looked in them. He realized he was starting to stare at him too long without answering his question. “I’m fine,” he quickly replied, causing himself to cough. He tried to suppress it but that only made it worse.

Without being asked, Makoto filled a plastic cup of water from the bedside table and handed it him. Haru took the cup and slowly sipped it as his coughing eased. He handed the cup back to Makoto when he was done, rubbing his sore chest. He’d be happy if he could go another day without ever coughing again.

“Your cough doesn’t sound as bad now. That’s good,” Makoto said, setting the cup down.

Haru wasn’t that thrilled by his words. Still feeling like he was coughing up a lung was not good in his opinion.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have you healthy again soon,” Makoto said before turning to check the machines hooked up to Haru.

Haruka silently watched him, his presence comforting him.

The silence was soon broken when a blond head poked inside the room. “Mako-chan! There you are. I thought you’d be in here,” Nagisa, a fellow nurse, said as he entered the room. He’d been around before at night when Makoto was checking on Haru.

Haruka didn’t know how the nurse was still so cheery and energetic after working at a hospital all day. Even Makoto looked tired.

Makoto glanced over his shoulder at his friend. “Well, Haru is _my_ patient. Finished your rounds?” he asked.

“Yes, just waiting for you so we can leave,” Nagisa replied as he crossed the room. “How are you, Haru?”

“I’m fine,” Haruka said again.

Nagisa smiled. “You have the best nurse in the hospital looking after you so I’m sure you’ll be better in no time.” He noticed the blush creep up on Makoto’s cheeks before he noticed Haru’s dinner tray in front of him. “Are you going to eat your Jell-O?” he asked.

“Sure,” Haruka replied.

Makoto glanced down at the tray and saw it was barely touched. “Nagisa, I think Haru should eat his own food instead of you.”

Nagisa’s hand stopped just above the Jell-O cup.

“It’s okay. I don’t like Jell-O,” Haruka said.

Nagisa grinned up at Makoto and swiped the cup and unused spoon from the tray. He plopped down in the chair by the window and started eating. “So, Haru, are you from here in Tokyo?”

“No.”

“Then where are you from?” Nagisa continued. He learned on his first visit that it was a pain to get Haru to talk but that didn’t stop him from trying.

“I was born in Iwatobi but moved here when I was young.” Haruka hated having to move away from the quiet, small town to the big city. He missed being so close to the ocean.

Makoto nearly dropped the chart in his hand when Haru said Iwatobi, catching both Nagisa and Haru’s attention.

Nagisa snickered at his friend and said, “Really? Makoto is from Iwatobi too!”

Haruka looked up at Makoto, silently asking, _“You are?”_

Makoto nodded and answered, “Yes, I am. I moved here after high school.”

“Wow, what are the odds you’d both be from the same hometown and end up in Tokyo at the same hospital like this,” said Nagisa. He was grinning and enjoying this way too much.

“Yeah, it seems pretty unlikely,” Makoto said, turning away. He honestly couldn’t believe Haru was from the same small town and to meet like this? If Makoto believed in fate he’d stay that’s what this was.

Makoto tried to concentrate on his work but it was hard now. So, maybe he had developed a tiny crush on his patient. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence from what he heard from the other nurses but it hadn’t happened to him before. He’d kept it to himself since he was too shy to tell anyone, even Nagisa. But he had a feeling his friend had already figured it out. The only problem he had was not knowing what to do about his feelings. It all seemed inappropriate to Makoto. Haru was under his care and this was his job. It just didn’t seem right to try and pursue anything. Furthermore, how was he to know if Haru was even interested in him?

He was brought out of his moral dilemma when he heard Nagisa ask Haru, “Are you dating anyone?” He glanced back to them and saw Nagisa innocently smile at him but the glint in his eyes were mischievous. He definitely knew about Makoto’s feelings. “A girlfriend perhaps?” Nagisa asked, looking back at Haru.

Haruka scrunched up his face and shook his head. Definitely no.

“Okay, okay, no girlfriend. How about a boyfriend?” Nagisa asked, leaning forward in the chair.

Haruka’s face smoothed back out as he shook his head. His eye’s couldn’t help but be drawn toward Makoto but only Nagisa was able to catch it before he looked away.

Makoto stared at Nagisa, his mouth gaping a little in shock that he would ask someone such a personal question. Not to mention very professional. But he did feel a little guilty for liking that Nagisa asked. At first he thought that Haru might be dating the red haired man who visited a couple of times since the two of them seemed really close. Now he knew that Haru was single and probably interested in men based on his reaction to the girlfriend question. This still didn’t mean Makoto was going to act on his feelings.

Makoto was able to pull himself together and focus on his job, making sure to ignore Nagisa. As he finished up, Nagisa had moved from the chair to stand next to Haru’s bed with his cellphone out. Again, so unprofessional.

“And this is my boyfriend Rie,” he said, pointing to the picture on the phone.

“Nagisa, I’m sure Haru doesn’t want you bothering him by showing pictures of your boyfriend,” Makoto said, exasperated with his friend.

‘It’s okay,” Haruka said. He actually was enjoying the company and didn’t mind.

Nagisa looked up at Makoto with a smug expression. “See, he doesn’t mind.”

Nagisa winked at Makoto before swiping to another picture.

Makoto crossed his arms against his chest. He knew exactly what Nagisa was doing, he was forcing Makoto to stay and spend time with Haru. It’s not like he didn’t want to but he also knew Haru needed to get some rest. He could tell he looked tired.

He indulged for a few minutes since Haru was his last patient for the night before it was time for him and Nagisa to leave for the night. “It’s the end of our shift, Nagisa. We should let Haru rest,” he said.

“Alright,” Nagisa said, disappointed to be leaving so soon. “Sleep well, Haru.” He walked away from the bed and headed toward the door where Makoto was waiting for him.  He waved before stepping out.

Makoto gazed at Haru and smiled. “I’ll be back to check on you in the morning,” he said.

Haru nodded.

Makoto gently closed the door and the room grew quiet again. Haruka leaned back against his pillow, not ready to sleep yet. He looked down at the food in front of him and picked up his chopsticks. Least eating was something to do.

 

After changing back into their street clothes, Makoto and Nagisa made their way over to the restaurant by the hospital. They were greeted by name as they entered and sat at one of their usual tables. Most of the nurses stopped here before and after their shifts and the pair of them was no exception.

After their food was served, Nagisa kept glancing over at Makoto about to say something but wouldn’t. It was driving Makoto crazy.

Makoto sighed as he set his chopsticks down and looked at Nagisa. “Just say whatever it is, Nagisa. It’s not like you to hold back.”

Nagisa cleared his throat and asked, “Okay, you like Haru, right?”

Makoto should have known it was going to be about Haru. “Yes, but you already figured that out so why are you asking me?”

“Are you going to ask him out?”

Makoto shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems unprofessional to do so. Haru is my patient and I feel like it’s overstepping the line,” he answered.

He grabbed his chopsticks again picked up a squid, taking a bite when Nagisa said, “Unprofessional would be to bone him there in the hospital. I was only implying asking him out to drinks or dinner.”

Makoto started chocking on his food at the mention of sex.

Nagisa quickly jumped up from his chair, ready for action with a look of concern, when Makoto waved him off.

“I’m fine,” he said as the coughing subsided. Other patrons turned to look in their direction. How embarrassing.

Nagisa sank back into his chair and said, “Sorry for that.” He rested his chin on his fist and picked at his food with his chopsticks. “You could ask him out once he’s released if that’s what you’re worried about. He’ll know longer be your patient then.”

Makoto didn’t respond as he continued to eat, thinking it over. Nagisa did have a point. But even if he tried that, Makoto didn’t even know how to ask. He wasn’t the best when it came to flirting. Even though lots of the other female and male nurses, and patients too, flirted with him, Makoto didn’t know what to do. It always shocked him when people thought he was flirting with them when he knew he wasn’t. he figured his niceness was just being confused for flirting but he didn’t know how to change that.

“We’ll see, Nagisa,” he said.

Nagisa took that as a definite “yes” and grinned.

 

The days slowly passed by and Haru was actually starting to feel better. He should be after being there for over a week. He wasn’t as cranky as he had been although the extra visits from Makoto at night helped. Rin even noticed how well he was improving during his next visit.

It was the afternoon and Rin was sitting in the chair that he pulled up close to the bed. He was able to stay longer that day which made Haruka happy. He was listening to Rin tell him about something that recently happened to him and Sousuke when Makoto entered.

Makoto smiled at Haru before noticing someone else was in the room with him. “Oh, hello,” he greeted as he looked at Rin. “Don’t mind me. I’ll just be in and out.”

Rin glanced from the nurse, noting the look he gave Haru upon entering before realizing he was there, then looked at Haru. He’s thoughts were plain as day on his face. Haru’s expression may have remained neutral but his eyes lit up in a way Rin hadn’t seen before. There was definitely something going on between them.

“Haru, aren’t you going to introduce me?” Rin asked.

Haru looked away from Makoto and back to his friend, his eyes going completely neutral “That’s Makoto, my nurse,” he said.

Rin shook his head at Haru’s simple answer. Makoto glanced over at the mention of his name and Rin looked at him. “I’m Rin, Haru’s friend. I hope he hasn’t been too much trouble for you. He’s not the best when he’s sick.”

Haruka narrowed his eyes at Rin and didn’t like how chatty he was trying to get with Makoto.

“He’s been just fine. I’ve dealt with far worse patients,” Makoto said. His eyes lingered on Haru before turning back to what he was doing.

“Well, thank you for taking good care of my friend here. I can tell he’s getting much better thanks to you,” Rin said, grinning.

Haru gave Rin would “stop talking” look, but Rin was ignoring him.

Makoto quickly finished up so he wouldn’t intrude anymore on Haru’s visit with his friend. “I’ll be back to check on you later this evening. It was nice to meet you, Rin,” he said as he walked to the door.

“It was nice to meet you, too,” Rin said. Once the door shut behind Makoto, he turned to Haru and said, “He’s cute.”

Haru arched an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like _I’m_ interested in him. I was just making an observation, not the same thing as saying I wanted to do anything with him,” Rin said. He leaned in close to Haru, a grin spreading across his face. “But you should.”

Haruka’s eyes widened before he looked away.

Rin chuckled as he leaned back in the chair. “I saw the way you looked at him when he entered the room. You must agree, too, that he’s cute.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Haru said as he continued to avoid looking at Rin. He didn’t want anyone to know that he liked Makoto. He thought it was embarrassing he feel like this for his nurse. They barely knew each other and Haru didn’t think Makoto was even interested in him like that. He was just here trying to do his job and he was just nice to everyone. What made Haru so special?

“I also saw the way he looked at you. He definitely seems interested in you,” Rin continued.

That caught Haru’s attention as he looked back over at Rin. “What are you talking about?”

Rin chuckled. “I thought you weren’t interested,” he said.

Haruka wasn’t in the mood for Rin’s teasing. “Answer my question.”

“You seriously haven’t picked up on the fact your nurse is into you? You’ve had to have noticed the way he looks at you,” Rin said. If he was able to pick up on it right away, how could Haru be so blind to it?

Haruka felt his cheeks heat up thinking about the idea that Makoto might actually like him in return.

Rin sighed. “Look, not to be nosy –”

“Too late.”

“But the guy does seem to like you and you _definitely_ like him. So, what’s stopping you from taking the next step?” Rin asked seriously.

Haru was glad Rin dropped teasing attitude about this. He opened his mouth to argue but closed it. What was stopping them from taking the next step?

Rin rose from the chair. “You think it over while I go grab a soda. I’ll be right back.” He left the room and went searching for the vending machine he saw when he got off the elevator.

He eventually found the machine and selected the one he wanted. As he grabbed the can, he saw Makoto standing at the nurses’ station behind him. Haru would probably be mad at him if he knew that he was about to do but dammit this was for his own good.

Rin approached Makoto and asked, “Hey, can I speak to you for a moment?”

Makoto looked over at him and smiled, “Sure, is there something I can help you with?”

“Mind if we talk over there in private?” Rin asked, gesturing toward the empty corridor next to them.

Makoto’s smiled faded as he gave him a concerned look. “Okay.” He followed Rin and asked, “Is everything alright?”  

Rin smiled, trying to reassure Makoto. “Everything is fine. I just didn’t want to discuss this in front of the other nurses on your account.”

Makoto crossed his arms against his chest. That still didn’t make him feel any better as he wondered what Haru’s friend would want to talk to him about. “So, what is it then?”

“I’m going to be blunt with you. I saw the way you looked at Haru back in the room,” Rin said. Judging by the way Makoto’s eyes widened, he didn’t realize he’d been caught. Rin thought it was adorable.

“I’m sorry, I –” Makoto tried to say before Rin waved him off.

“It’s okay. I just wanted to let you know that he likes you too, he’s just not going to say anything about it to you.”

“Then why are you?” Makoto asked.

Rin rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Because he’s my friend and I’m trying to help him out. He’s not going to make the first move so if you needed confirmation about how he felt before doing something yourself, here you go.”

Makoto stared at Rin, trying to see if this was some kind of joke. He didn’t know the man so how could he believe him? “You’re not trying to play some kind of trick on me, are you?”

“No, I mean every word I said. I better get back before Haru wonders what’s taking me so long. Just think about it, okay?” Rin asked as he started backing away from Makoto.

Makoto nodded as he watched him walk away. It certainly was something to think about.

Rin turned and headed back to Haru’s room. He wasn’t sure if that was enough to make something happen between them but it was more than what Haru would do. It was worth a shot anyway.

 

Haruka was finally released two days later. He was happy to hear it from his doctor but not that he still had to take it easy for nearly a month to finish recovering. He was surprised Makoto wasn’t there that morning for his last day. His doctor told him to return in a week for another check up to make sure he was still recovering well. Once he was gone, Haru changed back into his own clothes and gathered his things to leave.

He wished he could have seen Makoto to tell him goodbye. It didn’t seem right to leave without telling him that. Haru probably wasn’t going to eve see the nurse again and wished he said something sooner to him before he missed his chance.

As he made his way toward the elevator, he passed by the nurses’ station and stopped.

He turned back around and approached it. “Excuse me,” he said to the woman sitting at the desk.

She glanced up at him from the computer screen and smiled. “How can I help you?” she asked.

Haruka wanted to ask her about the next time Makoto worked but then realized she probably couldn’t, or wouldn’t, share that kind of information with him. He shook his head and walked away.

The nurse gave him a confused look before turning back to the computer.

As he neared the elevator, Haru heard someone calling his name behind him. He stopped and turned around to see Nagisa all but running up to him.

After Nagisa reached him, he took a moment to catch his breath before asking, “Are you leaving already?” he asked.

Haru nodded. “I was just released.” If anyone was going to tell him about Makoto, it would be the blond standing before him. “Is Makoto here today?”

Nagisa grinned, his eyes lighting up. “No, he’s off today. Why do you ask?”

Haru immediately regretted asking Nagisa. He didn’t like how excited he was about this nor did he want to answer him. “I wanted to tell him goodbye and thank you,” he said, which was half true. He dropped his gaze to the side. “Can you tell that for me?”

There was a pause. “Why don’t you just tell him yourself?” Nagisa asked.

Haru glanced back up at him, confused. He watched Nagisa’s eyes shift to look at something behind him, so Haru turned around to see what he was looking at it. Standing right by the elevator was Makoto.

Makoto smiled and waved at him. He walked toward Haru, trying to keep his nerves calm. He was going to ask Haru out, he could do this.

“Hi, Haru,” he said once he stopped in front of him.

“Hi,” Haru replied. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he gazed up Makoto.

“I heard you were being released today,” Makoto said, glancing behind Haru to see Nagisa wink at him. He was glad his friend texted him about it as soon as he found out. “So, I wanted to see you one last time,” he continued, shifting his gaze back to Haru.

Haruka was quiet for a moment. This was his chance. “It doesn’t have to be.”

Nagisa let out an excited noise. Makoto and Haru both looked at him, realizing he was standing there listening to them. It also made them aware of the fact they were standing in the middle of a busy hospital as a couple of the nurses back at the station were looking their way.

“Do you want to go somewhere else to continue talking?” Makoto asked.

Haru nodded. Anywhere was better than here with an audience.

“Alright, follow me.”

Makoto walked back to the elevator and they stepped on. He decided to take Haru outside so that Nagisa couldn’t follow. They made their way out the front doors and toward a bench that was nearby.

After they sat down, Makoto asked, “I was wondering if you wanted to get coffee sometime? Give us a chance to talk and get to know each other a little more?” Since his conversation with Rin, Makoto gave more thought to asking Haru out and decided to just go for it. He still had his doubts a relationship would work because of his busy work schedule but he was willing to try.

“Yes,” Haru simply replied.

Makoto smiled. “Okay then, uh, I guess we should exchange numbers so we can set up a time and place.” As they did that, he asked, “Do you have a way home?” He knew Haru still wasn’t a hundred percent better and wanted to make sure he got home alright.

“Rin is meeting me here,” Haru replied. “He should be here soon.”

“Do you want me to wait with you until he gets here, that way you’re not alone?”

“Sure.” They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Haruka asked, “Did you come all the way here on your day off just to see me?”

Makoto’s cheeks flushed as he nodded. “I didn’t want to regret not seeing you again before I could ask you out. I was worried I wouldn’t make it on time with the train.”

“Is that why Nagisa came to find me?”

Makoto’s blush deepened. “Yes, to make sure you didn’t leave before I got here.”

“It’s a good thing he did,” Haru said.

“Yeah, it is.”

Haruka soon saw Rin walking toward the entrance, not noticing them on the bench. He called his name to get his attention.

Rin stopped and glanced in their direction, his face going from confusion to a smirk as he saw Haru sitting with Makoto. “Ready to go, Haru?” he asked as reached them.

Haru nodded as he rose from the bench. He turned back to Makoto and said, “Bye, Makoto. I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye, Haru.”

Rin gave Haru a toothy grin as they walked away. “So, you’re seeing Makoto again?”

“Shut up,” Haru said but the small smile he had betrayed him. Yes, he was going to see Makoto again.

Haruka was glad to finally be free of the hospital but he was happy to get a date out of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> If you liked this and want to reblog on tumblr, use this [post](http://bartonandmurdock.tumblr.com/post/150864509531/i-dont-like-jell-o-for-makoharuweek-2016-day-7).


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